Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

March 20 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Wednesday:

* Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG and a buyout group comprising KKR & Co LP and Hellman & Friedman LLC have joined the bidding for Life Technologies Corp, a genetic testing company coveted for its advanced diagnostics and steady cash flow, according to people familiar with the matter.

* Yahoo Inc is in talks to acquire a controlling stake in Dailymotion, one of the world’s most popular online video websites, in what would be Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s largest deal since taking the reins in July, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.

* Visa Europe’s owners may decide to sell the credit card company to U.S.-based Visa Inc and set up a rival system in Europe, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. In the event of a possible sale, the business could be valued at about $3 billion, the report said.

* Hedge fund firm Farallon Capital Management LLC is raising a new real estate fund of about $350 million to $400 million, the first time Farallon has set up a separate fund exclusively for the asset class, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

* German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp is looking into ways of strengthening its finances, including a possible share issue, as it battles to cut debt and recover from a disastrous expansion in the Americas, three people familiar with the matter said.

* Russian property company O1 Properties has bought Moscow’s White Square office complex, home to a local arm of Microsoft , for about $1 billion in the country’s largest ever office deal, a source close to the sale said.